The Encounter
by Katrover Swatroad
Summary: What were Donald's throughts when Sora and co. met Riku in Traverse Town? Here is one interpretation of that meeting during KH.


The first time Donald Duck met Riku, he didn't like him all that much. No, that was an understatement. He was nervous around the guy, though he kept it hidden and no one noticed.

There was nothing wrong with the guy, visually speaking. Tall, tanned skin, athletic build, surf-tossed silver hair, light green eyes – he was as whole looking as a fifteen year old could be. His manner, too, was friendly, if a bit rough around the edges – aren't all fifteen years olds like that, drunk on their youth and recent freedom from childhood? He just saved them from an ambush of Soldiers. His name was spoken by Sora, indicating friendly status.

Then how come he felt _chills_ when he looked at the teen? He felt Darkness, like cold air from Heartless.

The duck tried not to blink as he watched his friend played around with the silver-haired stranger. "Hey, hey, cut it out," the stranger said when Sora tried to inspect his mouth, warm light interacting so ignorantly with cold darkness. _They sure are close_, pondered the wizard, _they must be best friends_. Look at those two, so familiar with each other, so comfortable with each other's personal space; they must know each other from early childhood.

Then how come it unnerved his mind to see the Keyblade Master – Sora, his ward, the one he must assist on the latter's journey to save the worlds – interacting so closely with the stranger? The stranger really was Sora' friend, right? "I'm not dreaming this time, right?" asked Sora. Unlike Donald, he was nonchalant.

"I hope not. Took forever to find you." The stranger turned around and walked a bit, enticing Sora and friends to follow. Donald wondered if he should voice his unease or not. Maybe not; maybe the duck was overreacting. Things seem so casual now. Safe. Visually, at least. Maybe he was still shaken by the recent ambush. Maybe he was just upset Riku stopped the Soldiers and not them. _We could have taken 'em down on our own._

"Riku! Wait a second, where's Kairi?" Oh good. At least Sora was observant. Maybe he could observe Donald's rabbit-in-the-bushes stillness.

"Isn't she with you? Well, don't worry …"

As Riku prattled on and walked some more. Donald wondered if his unique unease came from his mind, or from his magician training. All trained wizards have the ability to sense magic, after all. There was an aura of unease around that Riku, that friend of Sora; he could feel it, but he couldn't prove it. _Yeah, a very dark aura. A black one, tinged with green fire_ - Donald inwardly gawked at his sudden creativity. _Nice colors, very poetic. But what does that have to do with anything?_

"We'll all be together again soon," the friend was currently saying. Casual observation by the duck (look at that swagger) noted that he was the more dominant one back home. "Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this -" _CLICK!_

Not anymore: Keyblade made it so. Sora swung it over his shoulder. "Leave it to who?"

_A Heartless had just been extinguished_, Donald noted with shock and relief. The stench told them so. It was _stalking_ them, just like the Soldiers; in their false state of safety, it could have ambushed them! So much for being safe! Perhaps _that_ was the source of his unease … no, it was still there, still attached to the stranger.

It had always been attached to the stranger.

"Sora, what did you -" the stranger gaped.

"I've been looking for you and Kairi, too," replied Sora proudly, "with their help."

Despite his inner unease, Donald smiled and nodded, following the example of Goofy. As Disney Castle's court wizard, and current representative in Traverse Town, he must put on a brave face. _He's making me queasy, but I won't let him know, nuh - uh! _

"Who are they?" said the stranger suspiciously. _At least the suspicion isn't one sided._

Donald began proudly, "Ahem! My name is -"

"We visited so many places and worlds, looking for you," Sora interrupted, irritating the wizard. On well. Donald couldn't blame Sora for focusing all attention on his dear lost friend. _Even if his dear lost friend gives me the willies._

Which were growing more and more as the stranger replied, "Really? Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed." Suspicion drizzled his speech.

That was the glass ceiling. In Donald, the willies reached their peak. Time to cut this meeting short. While Goofy praised Sora for being the Keyblade Master, Donald walked behind them and positioned himself next to the boy. Time to get Sora's attention first."Who would've thought it?" he quipped..

"What's that mean!" Sora kneeled to his level. _Good, now that I've got his attention -_

"So, this is called a Keyblade?"

Riku was holding the Keyblade in his hands. Donald's heart hiccupped at the sight.

His magical intuition told the duck that this scene was wrong. _He's holding the Keyblade? That's not supposed to happen! Only the Keyblade Master can hold the Keyblade, and he's Sora! _In his mind's eye, the black and green aura of the stranger entwined with the pure white aura of the Keyblade. The auras fought, almost blinding (only) the duck, and green dragonfire nearly overtook pure white light.

"Hey! Give it back," said Sora. Unlike Donald, he felt only annoyance.

"Catch!" Auras untangled, and the Keyblade's white purity escaped intact.

_Fwoosh, thump._ Sora caught the blade, but not the significance of his friend's recent act. "Okay, so, you're coming with us, right? We've got this awesome rocket …"

Enough was enough! The duck blurted out, "No, he can't come!"

Sora turned his head, incredulous. "What?"

"Forget it!" _He has a dark aura about him!_ _He tried to steal the Keyblade away!_

Sora was stubborn. "Oh, come on! He's my friend!

"I don't care!" _I can tell you the reasons later! Even if I know don't them myself! Something about auras!_

"He's gone," announced Goofy. Sure enough, Riku was missing. No fifteen year old can run off that fast. Donald sensed foul play_. I knew it. He was a bad apple._

"Riku?" wondered Sora, scanning his surroundings. Meanwhile, Donald tapped his tenseness away with a webbed foot. That was a close call. He knew there was something iffy about that stranger – and he was right, his wizard's instincts were true. No one should be able to take the Keyblade away like that, unless supernatural evil was afoot; King Mickey told him so. _He had a dark aura about him!_ _He tried to steal the Keyblade away. He **was** Sora's friend … but something happened to him, didn't he? And Sora was too happy to notice. _

"Nice going," pouted his oblivious ward. "Oh well. At least he's okay. And who knows? Maybe we'll run into Kairi soon, too." And that was the end of the encounter.

It was right after that encounter that they learned about Maleficent, and Donald wondered about why he thought of the colors black and green earlier.Were the two related? Those colors do seem to match the witch, somehow, as he listened to Cid and Leon. Who knows? They would know it when they faced her. Meanwhile, was he overreacting to Riku back there?

Later, when they met again inside Monstro, Donald Duck realized he wasn't.


End file.
